Amgen vs Twilio: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Amgen and Twilio side by side

1. 1980Amgen

   Applied Molecular Genetics is incorporated

   Applied Molecular Genetics (AMGen) was incorporated on April 8, 1980 in Thousand Oaks, California, as the idea of venture capitalist William K. Bowes Jr. and a group of scientific collaborators.

2. 1983Amgen

   Nasdaq listing and the erythropoietin clone

   Amgen completed its initial public offering on June 17, 1983, raising nearly US$40 million under chief financial officer Gordon Binder, and formally shortened its name to Amgen.

3. 1984Amgen

   Kirin-Amgen joint venture formed

   Amgen and Kirin Brewery Company of Japan formed Kirin-Amgen in 1984 as a joint venture for the worldwide commercialization of erythropoietin.

4. 1985Amgen

   G-CSF cloned, leading to Neupogen

   While Fu-Kuen Lin's team worked on erythropoietin, researcher Larry Souza and his group cloned and expressed human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in 1985.

5. 1989Amgen

   FDA approves Epogen

   The FDA approved Epogen (epoetin alfa) on June 1, 1989 for anemia in patients with chronic kidney failure on dialysis. It was the first commercial recombinant human erythropoietin. Epogen's U.S.

6. 1991Amgen

   Neupogen approved, giving Amgen a second franchise

   The FDA approved Neupogen (filgrastim) in February 1991. By stimulating white blood cell production it reduced the risk of infection in cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.

7. 1991Amgen

   Amgen wins the erythropoietin patent fight

   On March 6, 1991 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the Kirin-Amgen erythropoietin patent and ruled against Genetics Institute in Amgen v. Chugai Pharmaceutical and Genetics Institute.

8. 2001Amgen

   FDA approves Aranesp, the longer-acting EPO

   Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa), an erythropoietin analogue with modified glycosylation and a longer half-life, was approved in 2001. Less frequent dosing than Epogen improved convenience and gave Amgen a newer, higher-priced product to migrate patients toward.

9. 2002Amgen

   US$16 billion Immunex acquisition brings Enbrel in-house

   Amgen completed its acquisition of Immunex Corporation on July 16, 2002, the largest biotechnology deal to that point at about US$16 billion in stock and cash.

10. 2008Twilio

    Company Founded

    Jeff Lawson, Evan Cooke, and John Wolthuis founded Twilio and launched its first voice API for developers.

11. 2010Amgen

    Prolia and XGEVA create the bone health franchise

    The FDA approved Prolia (denosumab) for postmenopausal osteoporosis in June 2010 and XGEVA, the same molecule at a higher dose, for prevention of skeletal-related events in cancer patients in November 2010.

12. 2010Twilio

    SMS API Launched

    Twilio added programmable SMS, which became its largest product line.

13. 2015Twilio

    Authy Acquired

    Twilio acquired the two-factor authentication company Authy in 2015.

14. 2016Twilio

    NYSE IPO

    Twilio listed on the NYSE under the ticker TWLO in June 2016, pricing shares at $15.

15. 2019Amgen

    US$13.4 billion purchase of Otezla from Celgene

    Amgen agreed in August 2019 to buy worldwide rights to Otezla (apremilast) from Celgene for US$13.4 billion in cash, or about US$11.2 billion net of the present value of US$2.2 billion of anticipated future cash tax benefits, and closed on November 21, 2019.

16. 2019Twilio

    SendGrid Acquisition

    Twilio completed its all-stock acquisition of email platform SendGrid, announced at about $2 billion.

17. 2020Amgen

    Amgen joins the Dow Jones Industrial Average

    Amgen replaced Pfizer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on August 31, 2020, becoming one of the thirty components in the index. Inclusion recognized the scale Amgen had reached and added passive demand from Dow-tracking funds.

18. 2020Twilio

    Segment Acquisition

    Twilio acquired customer data platform Segment for about $3.2 billion, its largest deal.

19. 2021Twilio

    Revenue Passes $2.8 Billion

    Twilio reported FY2021 revenue of $2.842 billion, up 61% year over year, with a net loss of $949.9 million.

20. 2023Amgen

    US$27.8 billion Horizon Therapeutics acquisition closes

    Amgen completed the acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics plc on October 6, 2023 for US$116.50 per share in cash, an equity value of about US$27.8 billion, after settling FTC litigation with a behavioral consent decree.

21. 2023Twilio

    Restructuring

    Twilio cut about 17% of its workforce in February 2023 and made further reductions later in the year as it shifted toward profitability.

22. 2024Amgen

    Imdelltra becomes the first T-cell engager for small cell lung cancer

    The FDA granted accelerated approval to tarlatamab, sold as Imdelltra, on May 16, 2024 for extensive stage small cell lung cancer that has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

23. 2024Twilio

    CEO Transition

    Co-founder Jeff Lawson stepped down as CEO in January 2024 and Khozema Shipchandler succeeded him.

24. 2025Amgen

    VESALIUS-CV extends the Repatha case to primary prevention

    In November 2025 Amgen reported Phase 3 VESALIUS-CV results in more than 12,000 patients with atherosclerosis or diabetes but no prior heart attack or stroke.

25. 2025Twilio

    First Full-Year GAAP Profit and Stytch Deal

    Twilio reported FY2025 revenue of $5.067 billion and net income of $33.8 million, and completed its acquisition of identity platform Stytch on November 14, 2025.

26. 2026Amgen

    Medicare price setting reaches Enbrel and Otezla

    Enbrel's negotiated Medicare price under the Inflation Reduction Act took effect on January 1, 2026, after it was named in the first round of ten drugs selected for negotiation.

27. 2026Twilio

    Growth Re-accelerates

    Twilio reported Q2 2026 revenue of $1.50 billion, up 22%, and raised its 2026 revenue growth outlook to 18%-18.5%.

Acquisitions

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